#28 — Type 99A: China's Most Dangerous Tank, and the World Is Guessing
The Type 99A mounts a 125mm ZPT-98 smoothbore gun capable of firing gun-launched ATGMs, composite armor augmented by FY-4 explosive reactive armor, and an active protection system with millimeter-wave radar — a suite of military technology that on paper rivals anything fielded by NATO.
China has been deliberately opaque about the Type 99A's exact capabilities, but open-source analysis estimates its composite armor provides protection equivalent to 700mm+ of RHA against APFSDS rounds. Its 1,500-horsepower turbocharged diesel pushes 58 tons to a reported 80 km/h — if accurate, making it one of the fastest MBTs in the world. Approximately 600-800 are believed to be in PLA service. The Type 99A features a laser warning receiver and what China claims is a laser dazzler capable of blinding optics and possibly damaging the eyes of enemy gunners — a controversial piece of defense technology that would violate international protocols. With zero combat history, the Type 99A's ranking is an educated estimate, but its capabilities demand respect.
